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prosthetic

American  
[pros-thet-ik] / prɒsˈθɛt ɪk /

adjective

  1. of or relating to an artificial body part or prosthesis.

    He was fitted for a prosthetic arm.

  2. of or relating to the fields of surgical or dental prosthetics.

    advances in prosthetic technology.

  3. of or relating to a substance, item, or process used to transform a person’s appearance temporarily, especially as a theatrical special effect.

    The final scene required painstaking application of prosthetic hair and skin.


noun

  1. an artificial body part; a prosthesis.

    Hundreds of amputees volunteered to test the new prosthetics.

  2. an appearance-altering substance or item applied temporarily to a person’s face or body, especially to create a theatrical special effect.

    Alien creatures are brought to life with realistic prosthetics.

Other Word Forms

  • prosthetically adverb

Etymology

Origin of prosthetic

1735–40; < Modern Latin prostheticus, from Hellenistic Greek prosthetikós, equivalent to prósthet(os) “added on,” verbid of prostithе́nai “to add, put onto” ( pros- pros- ( def. ). + the-, stem of tithе́nai “to put, place” + -tos verbid suffix) + -ikos -ic ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

As Floyd, David Harbour gets to show off his dance moves in the series: “It was fun to just let loose, with a fat prosthetic belly, and have a good time and dance.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026

The moves are inspired, even with the prosthetic belly you’re wearing.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026

He tells Newsbeat he spent about an hour in make-up having prosthetic scars applied to his back, and recalls director Fennell carefully checking to ensure they matched Elordi's.

From BBC • Mar. 3, 2026

After losing his right leg on the battlefield in Ukraine, Dmitry, a former fighter with Russia's Wagner paramilitary group, is walking again thanks to a new prosthetic limb.

From Barron's • Feb. 17, 2026

Augustus puffed out his cheeks, balanced on his leg, and twisted his hips, throwing the prosthetic forward.

From "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green